Social media use may breach China rules, Cathay warns staff

HONGKONG/BEIJING: The new management of Cathay Pacific Airways, trying to contain the damage it has suffered from staff taking part in Hong Kong’s antiBeijing protests, cautioned staff that misuse of social-media platforms could be a breach of rules set by China’s authorities.

In a message to employees, Cathay said that posting, responding and sharing content on social media could go against the demands the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued to the carrier this month.

“Employees should always exercise caution about how their social media usage may be relevant to their own employment, the welfare of others and the business,” Cathay said in the notice to workers. “Any employee who participates in illegal activities will be subject to an investigation process which may lead to termination of their employment.”

Recently, Rupert Hogg, former CEO of Cathay Pacific, refused China’s request that he provide them with the names of all Cathay employees who took part in the protests. China ordered Hogg to suspend these employees from work. Hogg responded by providing Beijing with a list that only had one name on it - his own. Hogg then resigned on August 16.

Meanwhile, banking giant HSBC broke its silence on the protests, calling for a peaceful resolution to differences in the city.

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KPMG issued a directive to its employees in the city: don’t speak on behalf of the company in public. It went on to say that the firm supports China’s policy for governing Hong Kong. PwC also sent a similar message to staff telling them to avoid disclosing anything about the company on social media platforms, according to emails seen by Bloomberg.

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An employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong has been detained in China for involvement in prostitution, the statebacked Global Times newspaper said on Thursday, as Britain said it continued to urgently seek information.

China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the employee, Simon Cheng, had been detained in the border city of Shenzhen neighbouring Hong Kong.